A poll has found 39 per cent of workers regularly stayed late or arrived early during the past year in a bid to seem more dedicated than colleagues.

More than a quarter (26 per cent) said they consistently worked longer days than they needed to in order to do their job more effectively, according to the research by officebroker.com.

Employees were most likely to put in longer hours at the office when a pay review was imminent, a new boss had been appointed or redundancies had been announced.

Staff working extended hours were found to be doing an extra hour or two hours a day, adding a minimum of half a day more to their working week.

However, the study also found the long hours were of little benefit to companies as they just made workers worn out.

A spokesman for officebroker.com, which helps small businesses, said: “The general consensus is that many workers across the country are putting in longer office hours than ever before.

“What our research has found, however, is that many are doing it in a bid to improve their office image and win favour, rather than because their workload demands it.

“People are sitting idle in their office in a bid to stand out from their colleagues and impress their bosses.

“This means a poorer work-life balance and ultimately no productivity gains for the firm, just increasingly tired workers, which benefits nobody.”

Use the comments box below to tell us about your workplace experiences. Have you felt under pressure to work longer hours than necessary to impress the boss? Do you work in an office where unpaid overtime is expected? Add your views.

It’s Christmas time. We know this by the light-adorned streets, the mobility hazard posed by boxes of Quality Street, Roses and Celebrations in every supermarket’s entrance and, of course, the incessant radio-plays of Mariah Carey’s All I Want for Christmas Is You.